On Saturday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he plans to annex Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, if re-elected. He made the comments on Israeli television just days before Tuesday’s parliamentary elections, pitting the embattled prime minister against his former army chief of staff, Benny Gantz. Palestinian officials and Palestinian residents of the West Bank condemned the remarks, which many say were made as an appeal to right-wing voters. This is activist Mohammed Zughayer from the group Youth Against Settlements.
Mohammed Zughayer: “It is clear for the world that there is no real partner for peace that Mahmoud Abbas is calling for through negotiations. The Israeli occupation and Netanyahu and his coalition with the extreme right want to form a big government for settlers that will implement the plan of the century that is led by the American President Donald Trump.”
Israeli settlements in the Occupied West Bank are considered illegal under international law.